Vol. 497 No. 5
1 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Taoiseach the number of occasions the interdepartmental committee of officials, chaired by his Department, with the mandate to develop work practices and procedures for the protection of classified information has met. [24519/98]
The interdepartmental committee established to develop detailed work practices and procedures for the protection of classified information met on 22 September 1998. At that meeting, the committee considered the draft of a Department of Finance circular on the classification of material as top secret. The circular has since issued to all Departments and gives guidance on material which might be classified top secret and on procedures to be applied to such material. The interdepartmental committee also decided to compile an inventory of current practices in Government Departments and offices for the handling, circulation and storage of sensitive official information with a view to preparing a preliminary draft report. The compilation is in hand and the committee will meet again in due course to consider the preliminary draft report when it is available.
What guidance does the circular give as to what information should be classified as top secret?
I do not have a copy of the circular. The committee is examining what issues must be addressed to identify the practices and procedures currently used across Departments. An enormous difference has built up between them over the years in what is classified as secret. The departmental circular and the committee are an attempt to narrow this down so that only what is necessary will be top secret and not every file.
What is the nature of the guidance? I do not ask for the full circular to be read out, merely that the Taoiseach would give the gist or essence of the guidance issued to Departments as to what should be top secret. I take it the Taoiseach has been briefed on that.
The gist is that the material should be anything which comes under the Official Secrets Act, which is confidential to Government and which relates to Northern Ireland and which could endanger a person's life. It is quite narrow compared with what was the case before and reflects the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act.
Would it be possible for the Taoiseach to deposit in the Library a copy of the Department of Finance circular which contains the guidance?
It is a secret.
I will consider that. It is not that much of a secret.
Is it the case that the tax affairs of organisations are now no longer considered confidential, given that the list of charities affected by the Finance Act has been published? Is that a change from previous cases——
The Deputy's question is well outside the scope of the question tabled, so we will move on to Question No. 2.
I understand from the meaning of the question that it is relevant. That is my interpretation of it.
The question asked the number of occasions the interdepartmental committee of officials has met. It is a very specific question.
It seemed relevant to me.
